Like the previous five installments of "The History of Central and Western Mindanao" Part 6 will excerpt from William Dampier's "A New Voyage Around the World." Dampier was an upper class Englishman who by a twist of fate became a privateer while on the island of Jamaica, then a British colony in the Caribbean Sea off of the Americas. "Privateers" were essentially liscenced pirates who gave a large percentage of their conquests to the government that liscenced them, in this case England. After cruising the eastern coasts of Central and South America, and one overland excursion in what is now Panama, Dampier's ship rounds the bottom tip of South America and enters the Pacific Ocean.
While taking on provisions at the Spanish colony of Guam the crew learns that the "King of Mindanao" is "at war" with Spain. Knowing that, it being summer, the Monsoon was approaching and that they had to find a safe harbour and decides to sail for Mindanao in hopes of wrangling a liscence to plunder Spanish shipping in and around the Philippines. Arriving from the east they skirt what Dampier believes to be "Saint John's Island," but what in all liklihood was probably Siargao Island off of today's Surigao del Norte Province in Northeast Mindanao. Sailing south along Mindanao's east coast they reach the island's southern coast and Saragani Bay. After a short stop to take on fresh meat from what Dampier describes as the largest population of deer he has ever seen, they finally arrive off of what is today North Cotabato Province and the mouth of the Pulangi River, what the Spanish called, "El Rio Grande de Mindanao."
Rajah Laut, or "Prince of the Seas," Sultan Barahaman's younger brother and the commander of the Sultan's navy approaches the ship in a small craft along with a son of the Sultan. The ship's commander, Captain Swan converses with Rajah Laut but the latter refuses to board, citing a lack of permission from the Sultan but in all liklihood merely being cagey. That evening the crew's Mr.More is dispatched ashore with gifts for both the Sultan and Rajah Laut. More is chosen because he had been imprisoned by the Spanish in Mexico and so had managed to become fluent in Spanish, one of two languages of commerce in the region, the other being Bahasa Malay.
The second day Captain Swan and a landing party go on shore and visit with Rajah Laut before being summoned for an audience with Sultan Barahaman. During the audience Captain Swan is shown two letters written in English. One, posted from England, is from the East India Company, a quasi governmental commercial syndicate controlling all English commerce in East Asia. The letter says that the Company intends to build a "factory" in Maguindanao. Factories were a hybrid of a military fort and trading post for all English trade. The second letter is from a Captain Goodlud who had made a port call in the Sultanate not long before Dampier's arrival. It is meant to acquaint any English trader coming after with the value of local goods, local currency and so forth. At the end of the letter though Goodlud warns any Englishmen coming after him not to trust the Maguindanowans, labeling them "all thieves."
Dampier later learns that one of Rajah Laut's officers had robbed Captain Goodlud's ship and absconded. Co-incidentally Rajah Laut then produces a prisoner who he claims was the thief who had stolen from Goodlud. He presents him to Captain Swan and informs Swan that he is free to mete out justice as he sees fit. Swan refuses to involve himself and so Rajah Laut, trying to save face, has the man tied to a pole in the sub for 12 hours.
Dampier concludes that the Sultan's purpose in showing the letters to Captain Swan was to have him drop his guard. After all, if the East India Company saw fit to build a factory in the Sultanate it had ro have carefully appraised both the land and its people and found neither wanting.
After the audience Captain Swan and his men go to back to Rajah Laut's home where they are given a hearty meal of chicken and rice. After eating Rajah Laut continues a conversation he had held with Captain Swan earlier, warning him of the impending Monsoon and advising him to bring his ship well inside the Pulangi River for a safer mooring. Lulled into a false sense of security by the letter from the East India Company Captain Swan agrees and the next morning the ship is lightened and then towed a quarter of a mile upriver. This lapse in judgement by Captain Swan will come back to haunt him in this latest excerpt, Part 6.
Chapter 13
"The Mindanayans Carresses"
After this the citizens of Mindanao came frequently aboard to invite our men to their houses and to offer us pagallies. It was a long time since any of us had received such friendship, and therefore we were the more easily drawn to accept of their kindnesses; and in very short time most of our men got a comrade or two and as many pagallies; especially such of us had good clothes and store of gold and as many had who were of the number of those who accompanied Captain Harris over the Isthmus of Darien, the rest of us being poor enough. Nay, the very poorest and meanest of us could hardly pass the streets but we were even hauled by force inside their houses to be treated by them, although their treats were mean, namely, tobacco, or betel-nut, or a little sweet, spiced water. Yet their seeming sincerity, simplicity, and the manner of bestowing those gifts made them very acceptable. When we came to their houses they would always be praising the English as declaring that the English and the Mindanayans were "samo, samo," that is, all one. Then they would draw their forefingers half a foot asunder and say the Dutch and they were, "Bugeto," which signifies so, that they were at such distance in front of friendship; and for the Spaniards they would make a greater representation of distance than for the Dutch: fearing these, but having felt and smarted from the Spaniards who had almost brought them under.
Captain Swan did seldom go into any house at first but into Raja Laut's. There he dined commonly every day; and as many of his men were ashore and had no money to entertain themselves reverted thither about 12 o'clock, where they had rice enough boiled, well dressed, and some scraps of fowls or bits of buffalo dressed very nastily. Captain Swan was served a little better, and his two trumpeters sounded all the time that he was at dinner. After dinner Raja Laut would sit and discourse with him most part of the afternoon. It was now Ramdam time, therefore the General excused himself that he could not entertain our Captain with dances and other past times, as he intended to do when the solemn time was past; besides, it was the very height of the wet season, and therefore not so proper for pastimes.
"The Great Rains and Floods of the City"
The city is about a mile long (of no great breadth) winding with the banks of the river on the right hand going up, though it has many houses on the other side too.
"The Mindanayans Have Chinese Accountants"
The Mindanayans are no good accountants; therefore the Chinese that live here do cast up their accounts for them.
"The Bark Eaten Up and Their Ship Endangered by the Worm"
About the middle of November we began to work on our ship's bottom, which we found to be very much eaten with the worm: for this is a horrid place for the worms. We did not know this till' after we had been in the river a month and then we found our canoes' bottoms eaten like honeycombs; our bark, which has a single bottom, was eaten through; so that she could not swim. But our ship was sheathed, and the worm came no further than the hair between the sheathing plank and the main plank.
"Raja Laut, the General's Deceitfulness"
We did not mistrust the General's knavery till now, for when he came down to our ship and found us ripping off the sheathing plank and saw the firm bottom underneath, he shook his head and seemed to be discontented; saying he did never see a ship with two bottoms before. We were told that in this place where we now lay a Dutch ship was eaten up in two months time, and the General had all her guns; it is probable that he did expect to have had ours: which I do believe was the main reason that made him so forward in assisting us to get our ship into the river, for when we came out again we had no assistance from him.
"A Hunting Voyage with the General"
The next day after Christmas, the General went away again and five or six Englishmen with him, of whom I was one, under pretence of going a-hunting; and we all went together by water in his proa together with his women and servants, to the hunting place. The General always carried his wives and children, his servants, his money, and goods with him; so we all e$barked in the morning and arrived there before night. I have already described the fashion of the proas and the rooms made in them. We were entertained in the General's room or cabin, our voyage was not so far but that we reached before night.
"His Punishing a Servant of His"
At this time one of the General's servants had offended and was punished in this manner: he was bound fast flat on his belly on a bamboo belonging to the prow, which was so near the water that by the vessel's motion it frequently delved under water, and the man along with it, sometimes when hoisted up he had scarce time to blow before he would be carried under water again.
When we had rowed about two leagues we entered a pretty large deep river and rowed up a league further, the water stilt all the way. There was a pretty large vilage. The houses were built after the country fashion. We landed at this place, where there was a house made ready immediately for us. The General and his women lay at one end of the house and we at the other end, and in the evening all the women in the village danced before the General.
"Of his Wives and Women"
While we stayed here the General with his men went out every morning and did not return until four or five o'clock in the afternoon and would often compliment us by telling us what good trust and confidence he had in us saying that he left his women and goods under our protection and that he thought them as secure with us (for we all had our arms with us) as if had left one hundred and nine of his own men to guard them. Yet for all this great confidence he always left one of his principal men for fear some of us should be too familiar with his women.
They did never stir out of their room when the General was at home, but as soon as he was gone out they would presently come into our room and sit with us all day, and ask a thousand questions of us concerning our English women and our customs. You may imagine that before this time that some of us had attained so much of their language as to understand them and to give them answers to their demands. I remember that one day they asked how many wives the King of England had. We told them but one and that our English Law did not allow of any more. They said it was a strange custom that a man should be confined to one woman; some of them said it was a very bad law, but others said it was a good law; so there was a great dispute among them about it. But one of the General's women said positively that our law was better than theirs and made them all silent by the reason that she gave for it. This was the "War Queen" as we called her, for she did always accompany the General whenever he was called out to engage his enemies, but the rest did not. By this familiarity among the women and by often discoursing them, we came to be acquainted with their customs and privileges. The General lies with his women by turns, but she by whom he had the first son has a double portion of his company; for when it comes time to her turn she has him two nights, whereas the rest have him but one. She with whom he is to lie at night seems to have a particular respect shown her by the rest all the preceding day and for a mark of distinction wears a striped silk handkerchief about her neck, by which we knew who was Queen that day.
"A Sort of Strong Rice Drink"
This rice drink is made of rice boiled and put into a jar where it remains for a long time seeping in water. I know not the manner of making it but it is a very strong, pleasant drink. The evening when the General desired to be merry he caused a jar of this drink to be brought into our room and he began to drink firdt himself then afterwards his men, so they took turns till' they were drunk as swine before they offered us to drink. After they had enough, then we drank and they drank no more, for they will not drink after us. The General leapt about our room a little while, but having his load soon went to sleep.
"The General's Foul Dealings and Exactions, 1687"
Captain Swan was much vexed at the General's actions for he promised to supply is with as much beef as we should want, but now either could not or would not make good his promise. Besides he failed to perform his promise in a bargain of rice that we were to have for the iron which we sold him, but he put us off still from time, we could not come to any account. Neither were these all his tricks; for a little before his son was to be circumcised he pretended a great strait for money to defray the charges of that day and therefore desired Captain Swan to lend him about twenty ounces of gold, for he knew that Captain Swan had a considerable quantity of gold in his possesion, which the General thought was his own, but indeed he had none but what belonged to the merchants. However he lent it to the General; but when he came to an account with Captain Swan he told him that it is usual at such solemn times to make presents, and that he received it as a gift. He also demanded payment for the victuals that our Captain and his men did eat at his house.
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